


Thomas Finks Vs Writer's Block

by Haedonrocks



Series: Thomas Finks Vs. Writer's Block [2]
Category: Original Work, Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Book Writing, F/M, Fighting, More characters, Shawn really wants Thomas to stay, Shawn's past, Thomas gets his future on track, baby perry, more tags soon, third person, warning: death and violence included
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 06:00:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26348251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haedonrocks/pseuds/Haedonrocks
Summary: Thomas Finks is a newly highschool graduate who doesn't know what his future is all about. After getting an idea from his best friend, Jane Witney, he decides to make a book. But problems begin to appear in front of him. Will he get through them or is it an idea that might have to be throw away?Meanwhile, Shawn, a secret agent german shepherd goes against a russian evil scientist name Alastair Yakim who plans to destroy the whole country with a nuclear missile that could wipe out the whole population. With the help of his partner in crime Julie Morkam and a baby platypus named Perry, he has hopes to defeat him.
Relationships: Mr. Finks/Mrs. Finks, Shawn the Shepherd and Julie Morkam, Thomas Finks and Jane Witney, Thomas Finks and Shawn the Shepherd
Series: Thomas Finks Vs. Writer's Block [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891357





	1. The Bookstore Party

Thomas was thirty minutes early. Parking the car right in the parking lot of the book store, he got out of my car and walked down the path where he saw Jane sitting on a wooden bench outside of the store. “Hey Jane.” Thomas said as he waved at her. She was wearing a green and blue T-shirt with light blue jeans and sneakers. 

“You made it.” She says, standing up as he walked close to her. “I guess we are both early to the party.” 

“Yeah, I guess so too.” he chuckles a little. “Did you get a peek inside?” 

“No, Susan was standing outside of the store. She told me that it will be ready in a couple of minutes.” So the two of them sat down on the bench. “So Tom, have you thought of what you want to be when you go to college?”

He scoffed at that question. “I don’t even know what I wanted to be back then.”

She looked at he weirdly as if it was some sort of joke, which he thought it was. “Maybe there’s a job that’s good for you like being in law enforcement, a constructor, or aerospace like me.”

“Oh yeah, how did that go?” Thomas was asking about her acceptance to her college in California. 

“Well I got accepted.” She proudly answers. 

“That’s awesome!” He said, proud of her. “I’m really excited to know that you get to become an astronaut soon.” She smiles, a smile that always gets him thinking that if her life was amazing the day she was born. After exhaling, He asked, “When do you go?” 

“That’s the thing, my college doesn’t open up after Summer.” Jane explains. He exhaled in a good way. 

“Then we can spend the Summer doing awesome things together.” Thomas wrapped his arm around her back and placed his right hand on her right shoulder. “It’s a good year when we finally have a life to live through.” 

She laughs. “Yeah I guess so.” There was a silence for a couple of seconds. He laid back into the back of the bench. “Hey, Tom?”

“Yeah, Jane?” She had his attention. 

“Do you ever feel like there's someone out there in your life who could be your true love?” She asks, curiously. 

Without looking at her, Thomas shakes his head. “Not that I know of, no.” 

Jane, at a steady pace, inhales and exhales. Though he really never question it, he felt this concern from her. “Are you sure? Could it be a surprise?” 

“What would be a surprise?” Thomas ask, confusedly. 

“Well, that-” Before she could speak, the door opened. A blonde hair woman came out of the shop. She had a green dress on with a blue flower on her right side of her chest. They both recognized her as Susan Dibs, their co-worker. 

“It’s time you two.” Susan said, with a smile on her face. Me and Jane stood up and walked inside the bookstore where we were greeted by almost everyone who worked in the bookstore. 

“Surprise!” They all said, giving a cheer for the two newly graduates. While Jane was fascinated with everyone’s applause, Thomas looked around at the hard work they put on. The banners, the balloons, the food, and many more. He never felt this appreciated before by any of his co-workers. 

“Congratulations, high school graduates.” Right in front of them was their boss and owner of the bookstore, Jerry Hugh. He’s an almost fifty year old man with brown long hair, green eyes, a nice gray suit, and shoes that were covered in some sort of polish. “I know that your journey as a teenager has ended, but you are now adults. Ready to take on the world as you please.”

It wasn’t all great being an adult, he knew some ups and downs to it, mostly downs. But the fact that he still haven’t figured out what he wanted to be, made him feel a little worried that ‘ready to take on the world’ was going to be harder than he thought. “Thank you, Mr. Hugh.” Thomas said. “We are really grateful for this.” 

“We tried to make it as perfect as we could.” One of the employees said. 

“And you all did great.” Jane compliments their work. “Now, shall we get this party started?’ She said, looking at Thomas. 

“Alright, then just follow me to the dining area. That’s where all the food is at.” Jerry said as we followed him.

“I think I’ll pass, just ate some pizza.” Jane says, declining the offer. 

“When did you eat some pizza?” He asks. 

“Just an hour ago. My mom wasn’t going to be back until nine so I had to order pizza for me and Phillip.” After walking a couple of steps towards the middle of the store. They sat down on the couches that were soft and comfy. 

“Actually I never asked.” Thomas turned towards her. “Can you cook? Not that I’m going to make fun of you of course.” 

She laughs. “No, but it’s something I need to try if I’m going to college soon.”

“I don’t think you're allowed to have ovens and stoves at college dorms, so I would suggest microwavable food.” Jerry speaks in. 

“That will be a start for cooking.” Jane says before they all get a good laugh.  
______________________________________________________________________________

An hour later, Thomas was at one of the isles of mystery novel books and looked at all the titles of them. ‘The Disappearance of Nancy Quinn’, ‘Murder near Block Street’, ‘Clueless Minds’. These were books that had been popular years ago before phones and electronics were now made. he used to be a bookworm back in middle school when he loved to read books everyday. He reads them at nighttime, in the morning, even when he had freetime. Heck, two whole summers were spent by him reading a whole bunch of books. Thomas should have made book reports along with them. “There you are.” Jane said, coming towards him. “I’ve been looking for you for almost five minutes.” 

“Sorry, I was looking at some of these books.” He pointed out. 

“Oh, my bad.” She says, apologizing. They both took a book out from the shelf and looked at them. “You know, I never really was a book reader.” She flips through the pages carefully. 

“I used to be one in middle school.” He said to her.

“Really? How many books would you read?” She asked, curiously.

“I never really counted how many, but I could say a lot.” Thomas puts the book back in it’s right place, the same with Jane. “Books are like life, they tell a story of one person or more about what their fate is. I mean it’s scary if you think about it, but it really has meaning to it.” 

“That sounds unique. But you said used to, so why did you stop?” She asked.

“I guess I got bored one day and I realized that I wasted my time reading these books instead of having fun with people. When you came here, I knew that we were going to be best friends.”

“Awww, that’s really nice.” Jane sympathizes. “I’m just glad that it works out.” She crosses her arms. “And about books. I would say that each book creates some new adventure anyone would take, and more could be made. That is, if writers will be creative enough. 

Right at that moment, He had the feeling of realization in his head. ‘If writers will be creative enough.’ Thomas' eyes widened, his mouth twisted into a smile. “That’s it.” He whispered.

“What’s it?’ She asks.

“A writer. I’m going to make a book.” He said with excitement in his voice.

“Make a book? Tom, I don’t want to doubt you, but books take years to make.” 

“Not if I don’t have the skill to write on.” He said, explaining to her about my writing experience. When he does essays or short stories, he gets a good grade out of them. It was the reason why he loved AP English. 

“But it’s not a career though.” Jane was right about that, being an author really wasn’t a career. But what choice did he have? He didn't know what to be and wasn’t going to let his hopes go.

“It’ll be something to do while I look for one.” Thomas never felt this happy in a long time. All of those worries he had a few hours ago were gone now. Making a book was and will be the only thing on his mind this Summer. “Trust me Jane, think about how rich we could be if my book becomes a bestseller.” 

Jane took the time to think about what he was planning. Now this is something he should do during his summer and she hasn't really planned her summer vacation. “Alright then book writer, let’s see what you got.” She held out her hand for a handshake and he took that chance. 

“My book will blow your mind.” Thomas exaggerated. 

“And what is your book about?” Silence filled the aisle for both of us. She crosses her arms again with a smirk while he looked idiotic standing there, my face turning red. 

“Ummm, I’ll think of something.” He said, embarrassed by the question. 

So further out the conversation, they talked to most of the co-workers there. Talking about their new future, now that he knows what he's going to do. Thinking about it, Julie was right. Being a writer is a hobby that he could enjoy. 

After the party, Thomas and Jane stood outside of the store once again. “That was fun.” He said.

“Yeah, it was awesome.” Jane agrees. “So when are you going to start on your book?”

“As soon I figure out what I want to write about.” He gave out a yawn at the end. “Oh yeah, what did you want to know what would be a surprise?” 

She wanted to speak, but something in her mind told her to not. “It wasn’t really that important.” 

“Oh, ok.” He said as he looked at his watch which showed 11:34 PM. “Wow, it’s really late, I should head back home.”

“Me too, my mom is probably waiting for me.” Jane said as they both went to our cars. “Tom, I really hope your book will be great.”

Thomas smiled at her. “I hope so too.” Then they got into our cars and drove off. Even if they lived in the same neighborhood, they took different roads. Just because the both of them thought that if they said goodbye and still drove down the same way, it would be awkward. He couldn’t tell which one was great, that he's becoming a future writer or Jane is going to be a future astronaut. Maybe they could make history together and could never know unless it said so in history books or news channels.


	2. The Secret Agent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shawn starts his mission by stopping a weapons shipment. Meanwhile, Julie wants his help with training Perry for a mission.

Out at the docks in the middle of the night, a group of armed men are guarding around at a warehouse. Inside that warehouse holds the shipment of weapons for a whole army. They had pistols, shotguns, missile launchers, grenades, and many more. The men were working for Alastair Yakim, leader of the Yakim Empire. Their outfits included a red and black military suit with a bullet proof vest, helmets with a logo of a red star, and rifles on their backs. They were in charge of keeping the shipment safe until a boat arrived to pick them up and send them off to Russia. 

But outside of the warehouse was a german shepherd named Shawn or by his code name, Agent S. He spied around with the binoculars to see what he was dealing with. Guns, check. Enemies, check. The shipment of weapons, check. The only thing that wasn’t on his list was the fear and defeat in them, so that’s why he’s here. To make sure they get a taste of that. He tilts his fedora forward and hops on the roof of the warehouse where he slips into an open window. 

He looks down to see a whole bunch of guards surrounding the crates. It almost seems impossible to finish the mission if he didn’t have a plan. Luckily, he does. On Shawn’s right was a ledge where he can walk on. Down below was a guard. He jumps down on top of him, knocking him out cold. Shawn sneaks next to the crates, hoping to take down another guard.  
When one of them was walking around, he took that chance and knocked him out without alerting anyone. He does this for about three times when he realizes that most of them bunch up together, making it now impossible to take them out silently.

So for his new plan, he took out a metal orb, the size of a baseball with a button. He presses that button as it goes all the way through, making it flat enough to roll easier. With a beep, he rolls it towards the men. They all saw this strange orb coming towards them, confused as ever. “What is that?” One of the men asked before an explosion of smoke covered them. 

With coughs and gags, this was Shawn’s chance to finally take out the men. He punched one and moved one to the next until they were all knocked out. After the smoke cleared up, all that was left was a whole bunch of knocked out enemies and a dog who’s adjusting his fedora. “That should be taken care of.” He said, relieved. But a door next to him opens, revealing more enemies. “Uh oh.” Shawn says to himself. 

“Hey! He’s stealing the shipment! Shoot the mutt!” They all aimed their weapons at Shawn as he made an escape, they started to fire. As much as he loves to leave the place, he needs to take the rest of the guards out and make sure the shipments won’t be delivered. So his next plan is to use his own gadgets, like a grappling hook he just got out of his hat. He shoots it up at a beam and swings down where he kicks three guards, taking them out. As everyone else starts to shoot at him, he throws his own shock bombs which tazes a whole crowd. After being electrocuted, he punches them out cold. 

For at least two minutes, he ties every single enemy in some rope he found on top of a huge crate. “There, that should hold them.” He said to himself, satisfied. But his attention was focused on the symbol on top of their helmets, a star one to be exact. He had never seen that before and wanted to know where it came from. So he grabbed his futristic cell phone and snapped a picture of the symbol before sending it to OWCA. Then, out of his fedora, he takes out a metal orb just like his smoke grande, but this time sticks it to the wall. As he did that, it started to beep and flash red and blue. It was a transmitter to the police station which wasn’t far away from where he is. “Can’t wait to tell the other’s about this.” He said before making his final escape onto the roof of the building where he started. On that roof was his jetpack he purposely left there. The red and white jetpack was almost his size with backpack straps around it. As he puts it on, he presses the button on the side and takes off. His new destination? Home. 

He was ready to get some good night sleep after a day of fighting and saving the day for the 603th time in a row. At least he got days off, so that’s good. As he was making his way back home, he gets a call from an earpiece he’s wearing. With a press on the button, he takes the call. “Agent S speaking.” He said. 

“This is Julie, Agent S.” Julie said from the other earpiece she was supposedly wearing.

“Hey Julie, I just finished the assignment you just gave me. Those guys are going straight to the police.” 

“That’s great Agent S, but that’s not why I called you.” 

“Then why did you call?” He asked, confusedly.

“I was going to ask if you were free next week.” She replies. 

“Umm, not sure. I’ll have to check in with Major Monogram tomorrow.” 

“That won’t be a problem since it was his idea”

“His idea?” He asked again. “For what?” 

“For some training. I could use your help for teaching a trainee of mine about what it takes to be a secret agent.” Shawn felt uncomfortable about that. He had never trained another animal agent his whole life and didn’t even know where he would start.

“I’m not sure Julie.” He said, feeling nervous. “It’s just that I’m not good with helping others in training.” 

“Come on Agent S, we helped each other out during training. Just think of it as a break from missions for a while. Plus, you’ll love the trainee.” She adds.

He sighs, not because he doesn’t have a choice, but because he knows that she was right. They had always helped each other when he was in training. It was the reason on why they became partners in crime in the first place. “Fine, I’ll help.” He says with defeat in his tone. “Who’s the trainee?” 

“A platypus named Perry.” Julie says with no hesitation. 

“A platypus? I heard that they don’t do much.” He really doesn’t know much about their habitat.

“Not Perry, he’s done some defensive moves I taught him a few hours ago.” As she talks, he starts dodging some of the buildings of the city in Danvile. 

“Well that’s a start I guess.” He said, feeling okay with that. “I’ll start training him, first thing tomorrow.” 

“Thank you Agent S, he’s really cute when you first meet him.” 

“Heh, I bet. Good night Julie.”

“Good night Agent S.” And just like that, he hangs up the call, focusing on his destination.  
______________________________________________________________________________

He finally makes it to The Finks Residence. Shawn lands himself right in the backyard and quickly goes to the shed where he puts his jetpack and fedora away, then turns off his translator on his collar. He walks through the backyard, making sure that no one had seen him. The coast was all clear. Shawn makes his way inside the house by using the doggy door he normally uses. “There you are Shawn.” Thomas’s dad said, greeting him as he was reading a newspaper on the couch. “Honey, the dog is back again!” He shouts to his wife who was in the laundry room.

“That’s good, has Thomas made it home yet?” She asks as she starts to unload the dryer. 

“Not yet, but he should be here soon.” He says back as he went to reading his newspaper again. Shawn felt a little worried that he made it before his boy did. Before, he would be the last one in the house at night because of his job.. On the other hand, Thomas was at a party for his graduation so it really made him calm again. He lays on the floor, waiting for his best friend to arrive home. 

Only five minutes later and the door starts to open. Revealing Thomas who was worn out and tired. “Man what a night.” He said to himself as he shuts the door.

“Now he’s home.” Mr. Finks said as he puts the newspaper down on the coffee table. 

“Hey dad.” He said, putting his jacket up on the hat stand. 

“How was the party? Did you have a good time?” He asked, wanting to know.

“It was a blast.” Thomas said, exaggerating about it. Shawn stood up and paced towards him. So he bent down to give Shawn a chin scratch which he loved the most. 

Mrs. Finks comes from the laundry room with a basket full of clean unfolded clothes. “We are glad to hear about that, our grown up boy. 

He starts to blush a little. “Oh, by the way.” Thomas quickly said as he stood right back up. “I figured out my life plan.”

“That’s great Thomas, but can you tell us in the morning? Me and your mom here need some rest for work.”

“Sure, I’ll try to remember.” He gently rub Shawn’s head. “I should probably get some sleep too.” He said with a yawn. “Goodnight mom. Goodnight dad.” 

“Goodnight son.” Mr. Finks said.

“Goodnight sweetheart.” Mrs. Finks said.

“Come on Shawn.” He gets Shawn’s attention as they headed upstairs to his room. Then closing the door behind the both of them, he change out of his clothes and into a black and white sweatpants and a white T-shirt. he then sits on the bed, with Shawn hopping on next to him. “A book writer.” He whispers to himself. Shawn turns his head towards his boy, wanting to know what he was talking about. “That’s what I want to be when I go to college.” Thomas said to Shawn as if he could understand. He makes a gesture with his hands in a weird way. “I mean, I know it’s not a job, but it’s something I should do for a living.” He sighs a little. “The problem is that I don’t know what I should write about. Sci-Fi? Horror? Mystery? Romance? I can’t decide.” It felt like he was being overwhelmed by a whole bunch of obstacles that were in his way. “Maybe I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

Shawn, who has no idea what was on his mind, still felt worried. As a secret agent, you’ve been trained to do your job and that’s it. But that was for agents who didn’t have owners. Shawn knew all about that and wasn’t taking any chances on leaving that out of his mind. He loved his owners with his soul. So much that he wished that he could reveal himself to his boy, tell him that he wanted to be his guardian angel for the rest of their life. Of course he couldn’t, it was against the law that any agent who reveals themselves in front of their owners will be sent away to a new place. He didn’t want to leave them behind, and that’s why he promised to make sure they are well protected without blowing his cover. But for now, all he can do is act like a normal dog and lick his face which he does most of the time. “Hey, cut that out.” Thomas said as he starts to laugh. 

After he stopped licking, he gave him a hug as he hugs back to which Thomas didn’t care about if he knew how to hug in the first place. He’s a smart dog, but not a fully civilized one. It’s what he thought to himself for years when he first got him. “You are a floofy boy, you know that?” He said as he buries his face in a whole pile of fur of his chest. From what Thomas couldn’t see, Shawn was as happy as he could ever be. It was very common for Thomas to call him a floofy boy along with some other names, but Shawn didn’t care if his owner was calling him names, they were good names that he wished others at OWCA could call him. After a whole minute of hugging, Shawn hops down off of the bed and lays on the floor. “Goodnight Shawn.” Thomas said to him before turning off the lamp on the nightstand next to him. 

So Thomas laid there, thinking of what his plan should be for tomorrow. It’s his day off at his work at the bookstore and he didn't get to plan the whole summer. But with friends that he cares about, nothing will change.


	3. Starting Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas tells his parents about his plan about being a writer, while Shawn meets Perry for the first time.

What did Thomas not like about sleep? That he had to wake up, that was the part he hated the most. Even if he didn’t set up an alarm clock, he would still complain about it. Then again, sleeping late means a short day and Thomas can’t miss that, not on the first day of summer. He rolled to his side, reaching his right arm out to grab the digital alarm clock that sat right in front of him. When his sight began to focus, he was able to see the time 8:23 AM clearly. Crap, this is way too late for him to get up. Right below on the floor was the sleeping dog who had not moved an inch when he first saw him last night. 

He sat up on my bed, giving out some little creaks that made him cringe. He didn’t want to wake Shawn. Thomas always let him wake up on his own, if the adult was awake before or after. he carefully walked out of the room and into the bathroom where he striped down and turned on the shower. With soap and shampoo, Thomas washed his whole body and got out with the towel that hung up next to the shower. 

Going back into his room, he quietly opens the drawers to pull out a pair of gray shorts, a blue T-shirt with the word “Cool” and some black socks. Then back into the shower to change into those clothes and brush his teeth and hair. After he get those things done, he heads down at the middle of the stairs where he sees his parents in the kitchen making breakfast. “Good morning.” Thomas said to them

Mr.Finks turns around at him. “Good morning Tom. Welcome to the first day of being a graduate.” He gladly says. 

He makes it all the way down the stairs. “Yeah, it feels good.” He huffs. Even though Thomas said that, he still had the worries in his head. It was like the book idea never existed. “What are you making for breakfast?” He ask, getting the worries out of his mind. 

“Your favorite, sunny side eggs and pancakes.” Mrs. Finks says as she shows me the pan with the eggs. 

“Awesome!” He said, walking over to the table and pulling out a chair to sit down. As he was waiting for his breakfast to be ready, Shawn can downstairs with a yawn. He then walks by his owner's side, looking up at him. “Hey boy, how did you sleep?” He asked as he rubbed his back. Shawn enjoys it happily and pants. Once he started to focus on rubbing Shawn’s back, he didn’t notice his mom coming towards him with a plate. When she put it down, he stopped rubbing the dog’s fur and looked at his plate. It had two sunny side eggs, three pieces of bacon, and a pancake with syrup on top. “Thanks.” Thomas said to her. 

“You’re welcome.” His mom turns around, but stops. “Oh.” She turns back to me. “Since Shawn is awake, can you fill his bowl please?” She points to the empty metal dog bowl that had Shawn’s name on it. 

“Yeah, I can do that.” He got up out of my chair and went into one of the lower cabinets to grab a bag of dog food. He then sets it next to the dog bowl, but he wasn’t done there yet. When both of his parents weren’t looking, he grabbed one of the eggs off of the plate and setted it inside the bowl before filling it up, to hide the egg of course. This wasn’t his first rodeo. He's done this many times for years. Even if Shawn is a dog, he still wants him to enjoy the food that he eats. Like steak, eggs, or meatloaf. Well, the meatloaf part is a different story. He never loved meatloaf even if his parents cooked some, so Thomas just sneakily gave it to Shawn who ate it like a champ. Though he still wonders how the german shepherd isn’t fat from all the food he gave him. It was like he was secretly exercising it all away. Of course Shawn didn’t care, he still loved the boy for the food he gave him to eat other than dog brand food. Thomas could tell by the looks he gives him and the licks he received, just like now before he chows down on the food just to get the egg. With a job well done, he puts the bag up in its rightful place and sat back down on the chair, enjoying the second egg. There was nothing he could ever love other than his parent’s cooking. They made the best meals, besides the meatloafs. Professional chefs he would call them, maybe even masters. “This is pretty good.” Thomas said with a mouthful of egg. 

“Thank you, but remember to finish eating before you talk.” My mom told him as a passive warning. 

“Sorry.” He said, making the same mistake he did before. Thomas took his time to chew and then swallow. “I still need to learn that.” 

“It happens to all of us son.” Mr. Finks said as he sat down with a coffee cup in his hand. “That’s why we are here to help each other out.” He takes a sip of coffee, smacking his lips before putting the cup down. Knowing they could see the steam from the coffee, it must be pretty hot to drink. A bit painful Thomas might add. “By the way…” He continues. “What were you going to tell us last night about your new future?” 

He leaned back into the chair, waiting for this moment to arrive. “Oh right. Well, you already know that I’m struggling to find a good career.”

“Yes, what about it?” He asks, taking another sip of his coffee.

“Well I figured out what I want to be. A book writer.” He said, without any doubts. 

But his dad wasn’t liking the idea. “Thomas, I know that you love reading books, but being a writer isn’t a career. It’s a hobby.” He said the same things Jane told him last night at the party. 

He puts his fork down. “I know, but it’s something to do while finding a good career.” Thomas says, defending his statement. “Maybe I can go to college while I write books.” 

“I love love to admit that book writing sounds good and that you can make money off of it when it becomes a bestseller, but we want you to have a job that can help pay off any taxes you have.” His mom gives out her side of the story.

“But I don’t know what I want to be though.” He starts to complain.

“It doesn’t have to be what you want. Mr. Finks explains. “It could be a job with a good pay or discounts on insurance.” He tells him this because he, a car dealer, knows all the good and bad benefits of getting a certain type of job that I may work for. For my mom who is an office worker uses different types of strategies or choices to get work done to either make it easier or fun. 

Of course, even with this inside his mind, Thomas just can’t decide what to do right now. “I’m not sure.” he said, a little stressed. “Can’t I just wait for a few days until I decide?” 

His father sighs, he knows that his son is stalling the moment. “I guess so, but just don’t wait for too long.” He gets up from his chair and looks outside the window to see a kid on a bicycle throwing a newspaper onto our driveway. He puts on his shoes to go outside to get the newspaper.

“I promise I won’t.” He says as he pick up the silver fork again. 

“And what are you going to do in those days besides working at the bookstore?” Mrs. Finks questions. 

His brain wanted him to say that he should spend time with my best friend Jane and have fun together, but what he spoke out was, “I could get a head start on my new book. Maybe write down some ideas in a notebook.” 

“That sounds good.” She said at the same time Thomas' dad came back inside with the newspaper wrapped in plastic wrap. "And make sure to take care of Shawn while we are at work.” 

“I always take care of him.” He said as he thought that was the most silliest thing he's ever heard. 

“I know you do.” She went by her son's side to give a kiss on his head. “Now, I have to get to work soon, so just don’t start a fire.”

“I won’t.” He said, promising her. Thomas never really started a fire, it was just a saying to not mess up anything in the house. 

“You want me to drive you there honey?” The dad asks, like the gentleman he still is. 

“That would be sweet of you.” They kissed. Thomas eats the rest of his breakfast as he sees them grabbing their stuff together, along with the newspaper his dad picked up. “I love you Thomas.”

“I love you too.” Again, He said with a mouthful of food. She gives him a glare for his mistake. Thomas swallowed as an apology. 

“I hope your book turns out good.” He said, giving Thomas some hope.

“Me too.” He replied as he saw and heard then open the door and leave the house. Then it was the car engine turning on until it started to fade away, indicating that they had left. “I guess that leaves with you and me Sha-” He turns to Shawn only to find out that he’s gone. His guess would be that the dog went back outside to explore the world for who knows how many times. So that leaves him home alone again. But at least he could start on his work, just as soon as he finish up my breakfast. 

After eating everything on my plate, Thomas stood up and cleaned the plate and silverware only to put them in the dishwasher. “Now, let’s get to work.” He confidently say as the eighteen year old adult walks up the stairs and into his room where he got out a clean notebook and a wooden pencil from the wooden desk.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Shawn really didn’t want to leave his owner like that. Thomas gave him food and the love he deserved, but a few kisses weren’t going to help balance out the friendship they hold together. For all he knows, Thomas was like a brother to him. Someone who cares about a dog who can’t even get himself an egg. Sometimes, being a secret agent is painful, but at least you have the skills to protect him and his parents when Shawn needs it the most. Back in the shed, he stands up on his hind legs like he does for his whole life and puts on the fedora, he wore last night. With a click of the button on the hidden keypad, the tube opens up. He slides down the tube into the HQ. 

He tilts his hat, giving some of the agents their attention to him. Shawn walks into the training room, where he sees his friend Julie and a baby blue furred platypus standing in the middle of the room. “Back like old times.” He says, getting the two to turn around to look at him.

“You made it.” Julie says, happily. 

“Of course, I said that I would be here today.” He looks down at the baby platypus who gazed upon him. “Is this the trainee you were telling me about?” He stares at the platypus. “What was his name again?” 

“Perry. And yes, you will help teach him the moves you’ve learned as a pup.” They look back down at Perry who smiles. 

“I can try, but I just ate a big breakfast.” Shawn addresses. 

“What is it this time, waffles? Pancakes? Or bacon?”

“Eggs.” He answers. 

Julie lets out a small laugh for a little bit. “Thomas spoils you good.” 

Shawn chuckles. “Yeah, that’s one of the reasons why I love my owner.” 

“You’re not the only one, Perry here has owners too.” Julie says, making Perry shy. 

“That’s cool.” He kneels down to Perry to pat his head. “Having owners is the best little guy, someday you could see how awesome they are.” Perry chatters happily at him. “So, ready to start the training?” Perry gives a nod. “Okay then, let’s start with the basic attacks.” Shawn stands back up and walks to the middle of the room with a lot of space. “This is what I call, The Front Kick Attack.”  
______________________________________________________________________________

The sound of the lead scratching the paper was louder than Thomas thought it would be. Though he does write hardly due to quickness or frustration. It was frustration he was dealing with. Because whenever there are ideas, they are setbacks. Each time he writes an idea, he scratch it out with the pencil lead. The pencil did have an eraser on it, he just didn’t feel like using it. “Serial Killer? No.” He said to myself as he keeps scratching out ideas. “Superhero? No. Treasure hunter? Absolutely not!” He scratched that one out so hard that it made a tear in the paper. It also made me sharpen my pencil a few times since it kept breaking.  
______________________________________________________________________________

“Now try using your fists for multiple attacks.” Shawn told Perry as he fought against the wooden dummy. “Good, now use those attacks with your legs too.” And just like that, Perry beat the dummy to the pulp, as if he already knew this stuff from before. “Amazing job!” Shawn says, feeling proud for him. 

“After you're done with your attacks Perry, I have a few more defensive moves you can try out.” Julie says. She was leaning against the wall watching her own trainee perform amazing fighting skills. Perry nods and looks at Shawn, ready to do more training.  
______________________________________________________________________________

“Evil robot attack? No, too violent.” He still scribbled and scratched down ideas for his new book. “Space war? No, too complicated. Vampire love? Ha! As if!” He scratched down the last thing on his mind before tossing the ruined notebook and used pencil back on the desk. “Ugh! None of these things work!” He flopped on his bed back first, feeling stressed and defeated. But he still have hope for a new book, he just needs to have a few more ideas before he could get to work. Thomas stared at the ceiling, spacing out his thoughts in his head and just to get away from everything around him.  
______________________________________________________________________________

The wooden dummy knocks to the floor with a satisfying sound of a slam. Perry rubbed his hands together before looking at Shawn. “Outstanding job Perry. You did great today.” Shawn said. “I’ll let Julie teach you other important things.”

“Leaving early?” Julile asked him. 

“I mean, I wish I can stay for more, but Thomas needs to take me for a walk. Got to get the kid some exercise too you know.” Shawn squats down to pet Perry one last time.

“You love walks, don’t you?” She smirks at him.

“I’ll never stop loving them.” He said, smiling at her. “But I promise I’ll be here tomorrow.”

“You don’t have a choice, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” Julie says before walking towards the dummy to lift it back up. 

But before Shawn could leave the room, he reminded himself of one more thing. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He said, turning to her.

“What is it?” Julie asks.

Shawn hands Julie his phone. “After my fight from last night, I took a picture of this symbol on their helmets.” He shows her the picture of the star symbol. It was rather strange to Julie because she had never seen anything like this before. “Do you think the agents can find what this symbol is?”

“Yeah, they can probably help.” She looks at the picture again. “Wow, I have never seen this before. Thank you for telling me.” 

“You’re welcome. Now I got to go, so like I said I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye Perry. He quickly goes out the door, making sure he will not be late for his daily walk with Thomas. 

Julie smiles at his quick exit, knowing that he loves Thomas with every ounce of his soul. She picks up Perry, who was surprised. “You know Perry, I think Shawn is getting to like you now.” Perry smiles at her and chatters happily. “Now, let’s finish up your training and then I can check out the symbol.” She puts down Perry gently, and tells him more defensive moves.


	4. Walking in the City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas, Jane, and Shawn go for a walk and they talk about some things.

How could he be so close, but yet so far away? Thomas thought about it as he laid on the bed, tired and frustrated. Every idea that came into his head for the new book was gone after losing interest. To think that he could do better. 

As he looked up at the clean white ceiling of the room, he heard someone come into his room and drop something on his legs. Sitting up, he sees Shawn sitting down, his head tilted in a way telling him if he was ok. Thomas then looked at the object that was dropped on his legs, it was a leash. He picked up the leash and then looked back at Shawn. “You want to go for a walk, don’t you?” He ask him. Shawn barks in a response. 

So he got up with the leash and went downstairs with Shawn behind me. There, he grabbed a plastic water bottle and an MP3 music player with headphones. he also saw his wallet next to the MP3 player. He was thinking if he should bring the leathery wallet that’s full of money with them on the walk. It doesn’t hurt unless he was planning to be robbed. So he grabbed it and put it in his back pocket. Before they left the door, Thomas went into one of the kitchen drawers to grab a sticky note and a pencil so he could write down, ‘Went on a walk with Shawn, be back soon. Love Thomas.’ he placed that sticky note on the fridge where he always leave notes out for his parents. After that part was done, he puts on his nice black and white tennis shoes and went out the door. 

From there, he attached the leash onto Shawn’s collar and we were off in a flash. Thomas didn’t even have enough time to play my music. Because Shawn is very energetic and in shape, he walks pretty fast, it kinda gets Thomas all worn out. “So can we go slow this time?” He asks Shawn who looks back at him. “I’m a little tired and I don’t want to pass out like last time.” 

The german shepherd know about his condition, in which a person can be light-headed easily, but he still teases about it by walking fast which concerns Thomas. Still, he doesn’t want his owner to pass out, not when they are walking away from the house. So he takes it slow and steady, probably picking up some speed later. “Thanks.” He said as if he knew he was responding to it. he still believe that Shawn was just a dog, nothing too intelligent or very civilized at the moment. Well, Thomas wouldn’t call himself intelligent. He couldn't even do a simple math formula.

A few blocks later, they went by Thomas' best friend’s house. A yellow colored house that’s almost the same size as his. And right at the mailbox, was her. He saw Jane getting the mail and looking through it. “Hey Jane.” He called out.

She looks up at him and smiles. “Oh hey Thomas.” Jane walks towards them, looking at Shawn and the leash that was attached to him. “‘Hey Shawn.” She kneels down to pet Shawn as he licks her. “Going for a walk?” Jane asks the both of them.

“He wanted to.” Thomas says as if he was blaming Shawn for something. Shawn looked up at him and gave an expression that said ‘And what are you going to do about it?’. “You want to join us?” He asks. 

“Of course.” Jane says, gladly. “Just let me write a note and get my water.” 

“Your mom isn’t home?” He asked again. 

“No, she went to work and Phillip is at a friend’s house.” He kinda knew what it was like to be home alone for some time. And by kinda, he means that Shawn keeps him company to make him feel happy. “What about yours?”

“Yeah, both of my parents left for work too.” He said before letting Jane go inside her house to write down a note just like he did a few minutes ago. As they were waiting, he wanted to play my music on his MP3 music player, but on the other hand, Jane might want to talk to him about some things. She came back out with a water bottle and they continued to walk. 

As they were walking, Jane started a conversation. “So, how’s your new book coming along?” 

“I guess a lot harder than I thought it would be.” He said, disappointed. “I still can’t figure out what story I want to make.” It reminded him that it was almost the same thing as not figuring out what career he wanted. 

“It takes time Tom, you just have to wait and see.” Jane said, comforting him. 

“Yeah, I can do that.” After the small talk, they crossed streets and met people. It wasn’t long until they made it to the big area of Danville with big buildings and loud noises. As they were walking down the sidewalk, the three walked next to a jewelry store that sold expensive rings, necklaces, watches and other accessories. Thomas didn’t really pay attention to it, but Jane stopped and looked through the window. He and Shawn had to turn around to see what Jane was looking at. “What are you looking at?” Thomas asked. 

“This ring.” She looks at a golden ring with a neatly cut diamond on top. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yeah, but it’s also expensive.” The price on the bottom of the ring said six hundred dollars. “Six hundred dollars is a lot of money.” 

“I know.” She says before smirking at him. “Maybe my future husband can get it for me.” 

Thomas thought it was funny, not in a bad way. “Yeah. I hope you find the right man to be your husband.” 

“I know I will, I just need to tell him at the right time.” She says. In his mind, he didn’t know what she was talking about. But in her’s, she knew exactly what she meant. Shawn looked at the two with confusion, knowing they both had different expressions towards each other. Thomas just shrugged it off and walked with Shawn again with Jane behind with a huff. 

They walked down the sidewalk and crossed the street until they made it to the park that they always go to. “Here we are, Danville Park.” He said as the three entered through the entrance gate. Looking around, The man could see so many people having fun and relaxing away. Shawn picks up some speed, hoping that Thomas would too. But instead he gives the leash to Jane, knowing that she’ll walk faster than I’ll ever be. 

“You really need help with your condition.” She says. He wasn't sure if she was being serious or joking around, but she was right though in his mind. 

“I could check in with a doctor soon.” Thomas said, agreeing with her. By then, Shawn walks up the hill where this huge tree was with lots of shade. Then he and the rest of them sat down in front of the tree, relaxing like the others in the park. “Feels nice huh?” He asked.

“Yeah.” She leans back onto the tree, never bothered by what insects could be living in there. “This is why I love Summer, you get to enjoy all of this freedom and life while the rest of the other seasons come and make your life boring.” 

“I hear you.” Thomas gets comfortable as he could. Shawn lies down on the grass, giving out a good yawn. Right in front of them was a family of five. Both parents, a daughter, and two brothers who are about the same age. But in that family, was a baby platypus that the little boys were playing with. Shawn focused on that platypus until he realized that it was Perry. The same Perry he had helped train just a few hours ago. Those must be his owners that Julie was talking about, Shawn thought to himself. 

When they weren’t looking, Perry gave a wink at him, who turned to Thomas and Jane and winked at him too. Shawn watched as Perry played with his owners who were very nice to him. He was lucky to have a family like that. 

“Phineas, Ferb, Candace, time to go home!” A woman’s voice said. Right next to them was their parents. A father with brown hair and glasses and a mother with orange hair wrapped with a headband. 

“Ok mom.” A young boy said with red hair as they started to leave. Shawn smiled at them as they walked off until he could see them anymore. 

“Hey Jane?” Thomas said, getting her attention.

“Yeah?” She replies.

“When you said it takes time to get an idea, how long would that be?” He questions concernedly. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure. Why do you ask?” She says, curiously. 

“Well my parents still want me to find a career in a few days and I’m afraid that I won’t have time to start on my book by then.” Thomas sat up. 

“First, calm down. It’s not the end of the world. Second, you have a few days, that’s plenty of time to find an idea, besides work of course.” Jane said, giving her friend support. “For right now, I think you're in a place where you're still working. Just relax and let your mind ease a little.”

“Fine.” He sighed as he laid back again. On to his left, there was a stand for snow cones. It was at that moment, Thomas knew what to do. And the best part was that he brought his wallet with him. “Hey, I’m going to get a snow cone, you want one?” He said, standing up.

“That would be awesome, thanks.” Jane says with a smile.

“You’re welcome. What flavor would you like?” He asks her.

“Blue raspberry please.” She politely said. 

“Got it.” He walks to the snow cone stand to grab some snow cones. Jane watches Thomas as he waits in line for some. She has this romantic feeling inside her. One that tells her that she has found her true love.

“He’s such a gentleman.” She says with passion. “I mean, who wouldn’t date a man like him?” She looks at Shawn, still laying his head on the grass. “Can I tell you something Shawn?” She asks him. Shawn looks up to her, with a confused expression. “I really love Thomas. He’s a special guy who’s very nice and naive. That’s what I like for a man. He’s always that hero who saves the day and would kiss the girl of his life. But of course, he doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know that I loved him since the day I met him. And I want to tell him my feelings, but I’m afraid to tell him. If only it was this easy as being accepted to a college.” She sighs before asking, “What do I do?” Shawn had a lot coming towards him. He never knew about this love before and he wanted to learn more. She was right about one thing, Thomas never had experienced love in his life. So that’s why he couldn’t have gotten her hints. Shawn knew much about love, but in this situation he was useless to help since he’s a secret agent. For now, he just licks her face to get her smiling again. Jane laughs and rubs Shawn’s fur. “Thanks for the licks Shawn.”

Thomas came back from the stand and saw Jane getting kisses from his own dog. “It looks like someone is stealing my kisses.” He jokes, sitting back down with the two snow cones in his hands. 

“He’s just trying to have fun here.” She said back as Shawn stops licking her. 

“I know, that’s one of the reasons why I love him.” He says, giving Jane her snow cone and petting Shawn’s head. 

“Thanks.” Jane says, getting her snow cone.

“That’s what friends are for.” Thomas says, licking the lemon flavored snow cone. To this, Jane had been met by many friendzoned times because of him. Disappointed, but never losing hope. She stares at her snow cone. “Is something wrong?” He said, looking at her sad face. 

She looks back at him. Jane wanted to say about the love she had for him, but will it be worth it? She had thought about all the things she did for him and how he repaid her. But nothing wouldn’t help her confess. “Well, when we saw that family over there…” She points to where that family of five with their platypus were at. “It kinda reminded me of how much I missed my dad.” She said, disappointingly. 

From what he knew, her dad was stationed somewhere in the Middle East, serving the country that we are living in. It also reminded him that he never came to her graduation because of that. It must have been hard for her to not have her own dad to see her graduate high school. “Yeah, I’m really sorry that he didn’t come to our graduation yesterday.” He said, feeling bad for her.

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s my dad’s job that he misses awesome things. But I’ve always seen him as a hero.” She states.

“A hero?” Now, he wasn’t doubting her, he just wanted to know what she meant as a hero, not to sound like a jerk. 

“Yeah, I always believed he would fight evil with or without a team and save the day.” She explains. 

At that moment, Thomas' whole life brightened up. Somewhere in his mind said that this is what the new book will be about. “A war hero.” He said, quietly. 

“I’m sorry?” She says, wanting him to repeat again. 

“A war hero. That’s what my book should be about.” A soldier who fights for their survival.” He says, cheerfully that he's finally got an idea.

Jane on the other hand wasn’t really that happy to hear about that idea. “You want to make a story based on my dad?” She said as if he offended her in some way. 

“You don’t like it?” Thomas asked, worried if this had hurted her. 

“No, it’s just that making a war hero story has to be based on a true story. Like those books that talk about their lives in World War One or Two or historic fiction.” 

“So I might be the first one to do one that isn’t based on a true story.” He said, going against her case.

She really wanted to stop him from making this happen. But it was the only choice Thomas had and she really didn’t want to ruin it. “Fine, I guess a war hero will do.” 

“Thanks, I could probably change some things. Maybe make a few plot twists.”

“Do you have any?” She asks.

“Not yet, but I could brainstorm one.” 

“You do that.” 

For the next hour, they kept talking while Shawn rested for a bit. After that hour, they all decided that it was time to go. Thomas woke up Shawn and threw out their empty snow cones in the trash. During our walk, they passed the jewelry again, but this time Jane didn't look at the ring again. She knew that he wouldn’t pay attention to the ring so it really didn’t matter. 

They got out of the city and made it to Jane's house. “I had fun today, thanks for letting me come with you.” 

“It was my pleasure.” He said, welcoming her. 

Before Jane went to her house, she turned around and said, “Good luck on your book.” 

“Thanks, I might need it.” And just like that, she goes back into the house. Him and Shawn made it back to our house just a few blocks later and went inside. He takes his shoes off and detached the leash off Shawn. Then looked at the clock that hung up on the wall. “Five O’clock.” He said. “Might as well get you fed.” He told Shawn. So he went into the kitchen to grab the bag of dog food and a leftover pancake and put them in Shawn’s bowl. He was really happy to see Thomas put extra food in his bowl. After doing that, he went upstairs into his bedroom where he picks up the notebook and pencil and started to write down ideas for a war hero. Thanks to Jane, he had a start into the new book, on that will help make his future better.


	5. An Operation Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastair discusses Operation Zero to the scientist, but learns that he has a new problem to face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things:  
> 1\. This chapter takes place before chapter 4 because of time zone.  
> 2\. I decided to do just third person instead of first person because it seemed confusing and not right.  
> 3\. Instead of 2002, it's 2005 because of Perry's date of birth (which is september 2004).

Back in Russia, Alastair sat on his desk like any other day. He’s looking through the files of his project called Operation Zero. In the files were documented sheets of the uranium filled missile he plans to use against the United States. It was 50 feet tall and 25 feet wide, with a gray color and a radioactive sign. Alastair believes that this missile will help change the world in his own way. Yet he still needed the uranium for the damage it will cause to the whole country. 

As he was scanning through the papers, a soldier opened the doors, getting Alastair’s attention. “Sir, the other scientists are ready.” The soldier announces. 

He puts the files down. “Good, tell them I’ll be there soon.” He says.

“Yes sir.” The soldier leaves the room. Alastair starts to pack up the files and put them back in the drawer, locking it with a special key he keeps in his pocket. He stands up and marches to the lab where the other scientists are at. 

The laboratory was a big area where all of their projects are being worked on. It consisted of computers, machines that could compute scientific results, test subjection rooms, and many other things. The other scientists were too busy with their work, they didn’t notice that their leader entered the room. “Uchenyye!” He shouts. Everyone focused their attention on the man who stood in front of the doorway. 

“Sir!” A scientist said before he and everyone else saluted. 

Alastair stands up straight, scanning across the room. “Now that I have everyone’s attention, we can begin discussing Operation Zero. He walks to the large table in the middle of the lab that has the map of the whole world. He and the rest of the scientist stand close to the table so they could see what the plan is. Right on Russia, was a miniature statue of a missle. “Our missile…” He points to it. “Filled with tons of uranium, will be launched directly onto the United States, right here.” He then points to the middle of the country, Nebraska most likely. Right there was a nuclear plant filled with radioactive materials. “Once the missile hits the nuclear plants, the whole country will evolve into a disaster while the rest suffers from radiation.” 

A man raises his hand. “Sir, not to doubt you, but how are we going to invade if it’s all radiation?” Some of the other scientists agreed on that part. 

Alastair was a man who loses his temper easily. But this time, he doesn’t. “We have high-tech hazmat suits that can protect us from the radiation.” He answers his question. “From there, annailate anything anything that survives the explosion and conquer the land. Is that clear?”

“Sir yes sir!” Everyone shouts in the room.

“Good, your mission is to collect the uranium and build the missle.” Alastair orders. Right behind him, a door opens. It revealed a soldier and a higher ranking soldier, also known as a general. The general was a man who looked bulky, wore a suit with armor, was bald, had white skin, and green eyes. “General Ivanov, how nice to see you here.” Makari Ivanov, a general/second hand commander in the Yakim empire. He deals with the weaponry and the military while Alastair is the man behind the science. Many people, including his own, were feared by him. Alastair shows respect for the man, even if he was the leader. “I was giving a demonstration on our operation.” Alastair says. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt you sir, but we have a problem.” Makari said, his Russian rone sounded deep. 

Alastair stared at him in disappointment. “Meet me in my office.” He says.   
____________________________________

At his office, Alastair slams his fists on the table after the soldier describes the shipment in Danville as a failure. “What do you mean it’s gone!?” He angrily shouts.

The soldier, quivering a little, says, “I’m sorry sir, but it’s the truth.” 

“Explain.” Maraki said, unsatisfied. 

“I received a call from one of your spies saying that someone took out your men. They are in police custody.” He explains.

“The shipment?” Maraki asks. 

“It’s in custody too.” The soldier adds. 

Maraki turns to Alastair. “Sir, the government knows what we are up to.” 

Alastair stares down onto his desk, shaking his head. “No, something isn’t right. I can feel it” He looks up to the soldier. “Were any of them shot?” He questions.

“No sir, beaten and tied.” The soldier said.

He looks back down at his desk in frustration. “Impossible. It has to be the work of someone outside of the system. No police officer can take down my men without shooting.” Alastair was very curious and suspicious of what was going on. He points to Maraki. “I need more spies in Danville.”

“Yes sir.” Maraki salutes. 

“And make sure the next shipment is heavily guarded. Dismissed” Maraki nods as he and the soldier leave. Alastair sits down on the chair, confused and angry. This has been the first time a shipment has been taken over by an enemy he will now call. “Whoever is responsible for this will pay.” He said, promising his revenge.


	6. A New Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shawn and Julie find out what the symbol is and who they are going to be facing against.

Silent as the air in the house, everyone in the Fink’s Residence was asleep early for work. Thomas' parents, who were sleeping in the master bedroom, had to get up early to go to work. Thomas, who slept in his room, had his shift at the bookstore with Jane; just a few hours after his parents left. Finally there was Shawn who slept in on the floor in Thomas’ room. He too had to get to work so he could help Julie train Perry some more. Right now it was 2:43 AM, too early for Shawn’s watch to beep. He wakes up sheepishly, turning off his alarm before looking at his owner to find him still asleep. Back at his watch, he finds out that Julie called him for an important meeting right now. Shawn hated getting up this early, just like Thomas. It was like the two had so much in common. Nevertheless, it was still his job so he gets up and sneaks out of the room without waking up anyone else in the house. After making out the house by going through the doggy door, Shawn goes back into the shed, puts on his fedora like usual and down through the shute. 

He makes it to his lair, a clean large space with white metal walls, a tiled floor, and LED lights bright enough to shine like an office building. There was also a red spinny chair and a large computer screen, the size of a billboard. Julie was sitting on that chair with Shawn’s phone he gave to her hours ago. Hearing him going down and walking towards her, she spins the chair around to see how tired Shawn was. “Sorry to wake you this late Agent S, or should I say early?” Julie says, not knowing which one it was. 

“Not sure, but this better be the symbol I sent you.” Shawn said, tired and grumpy. 

“Ah, forgot you are a grumpy dog when you wake up early.” Julie stood up off of the chair. “But yes, the agents and I researched the symbol. The thing is that you’re not going to like it though.” She turns on his computer. 

“Why?” Shawn asks, concerned. Once the screen starts up, Julie uploads the phone onto the computer to show the picture of the symbol and the man next to it. 

“Turns out, it belongs to a powerful reign in Russia called The Yakim Empire.” Shawn focused his attention on the russian man on the screen, how evil he looked just by staring at him. 

“The Yakim Empire? I never heard of them.” Shawn said, looking back at Julie. 

“Me neither until Agent PB told me about this when I showed him the symbol.” Agent PB is a giant ruthless polar bear who’s at the same rank as Shawn. He’s been known for defeating Russian assassins and mercenaries who were hired to kill people around the world. He still loves his country just like how Shawn does. “He said that they are someone no one should be messed with, which explains why he hadn’t stopped them before. But the guy right there is the one controlling it all, Alastair Yakim.” She said, pointing to the screen. 

Again, Shawn looks at the picture, having the vibes of evil in his mind. “He looks evil just by looking at him.” He points out.   
“I know, he creeps me out.” Julie agrees. “From your last mission you did, we know that he has an army. We just don’t know how large that army is.” Julie puts the files back onto Shawn’s phone. “I’m going to make files out of these for the next few hours.”

“What’s happening at that time?” Shawn asks.

“A meeting.” She bluntly said. “I have to contact Major Monogram about this so we can schedule one and you are going to be in it.” Julie stretches her arms. “It’s going to be a long day for me.”

“I don’t know if I should apologize for bringing you into this or thank you.” Shawn said, not knowing what to say next. 

“It’s fine, just part of work.” Julie knew what would happen if she joined the OWCA. She knew the risks of what was about to come in her way and wanted them to happen. “Hopefully this group doesn’t seem dangerous.” 

“I want to know if they’ll still be in Danville after this.” Shawn adds. 

“Maybe, we’ll just have to wait and see. For now you can get some rest for the meeting at ten O’clock.” Shawn gave a thumbs up.

“Ok then, thank you.” Shawn said as he was heading up to the tube again. “Goodnight Julie.”

“Goodnight Agent S.” Julie says as Shawn went up the tube. She turns off his computer and takes the phone to her office where she creates the files of the Yakim Empire and how they can discuss the plan on what they are up to.


	7. Weeks Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas starts making his new book and has a career plan while Shawn is in charge of a mission.

Weeks later, everything was going according to plan for Thomas. After Jane had helped him get an idea for a story, he went right to work. Though it did take a few days to find a title, get some characters, and the plot of his new story. So, in his room, he sits on his chair right in front of the computer screen, ready to type his new book. The title of the book is going to be called, “The Underground Battle”. A story where a fictional heroic soldier named Leon Mccarthy helps stop an evil dictator from taking over the middle east by going into the tunnels of the desert land. Thomas still needs to think of a more advanced plotline if he wants this book to become popular. But he had other things too, like his new career in journalism. His parents had told him how their uncle used to be a reporter before he died. They told stories of how he went through investigations and politics around the world, getting his story on the front of the newspaper and on television. It sounded like something Thomas would do, being a reporter for his dead uncle. Because of that, Thomas searched up colleges that had careers in journalism and only found a few, one that caught his interest. It was called Wisconsin State University, a high ranking college that could help me with my degree in journalism. The thing with that college was that it was closed for the whole summer so he had enough time to get his book done before the summer ends, although people say it takes years for a book to be made. 

In the first chapter of Thomas’ book, he describes who the main character is and what his life story is. He does add some tragedy along with positive and negative interactions with the world around him. It’s just something to get the reader’s attention more interested. He describes Leon as a brave man with a tragic childhood when he lost his father during a car accident while his mother is trying to fight cancer. Throughout the years, he lived against poverty and depression until a man came up to him when he was just fifteen years old and told him that there’s nothing stopping in his way. Leon, for years had lost a lot of hope, believed the man’s words and knew that his life meant something to him. So as soon as he turned eighteen, he joined the military to help fight for his country that he had lived for his whole life. 

That’s where chapter one ends, starting the main character’s childhood and going up to the part where his life means more than just having hope. Thomas gets these motivations to show himself that his life meant something to him, just like how the man told Leon that he shouldn’t give up. Thomas stopped typing on the computer and got up from his seat, feeling a little sore from how long he had sat in that chair. He takes his notebook downstairs and places it on the coffee table. And just like everyday, he’s home alone. Not even Shawn was here to play with him or go on walks. At least he still had Jane. She was just blocks away from where he is, unless she had errands to run. So he decides to give her a call and find out what the plan is. There was a wall mounted phone right in the kitchen that looked like it was made from the 1990s. So he grabs the handle and dials Jane’s house number right before it starts ringing. “Hello?” Jane’s voice said from the other side.

“Hey Jane, it’s me Thomas.” He spoke. 

“Tom, how are you doing?” Jane sounded really happy to hear Thomas calling her. 

“I’m doing fine, besides that I’m home alone again. You?” He leans on the wall with his right arm.

“I’m pretty good right now. Right now, I’m watching Phillip.” He could hear her talking to someone away from the phone. “Sorry, it’s busy when a twelve year old is trying to jump on the couch.” 

He chuckles a little. “As someone who’s never had siblings, I never really know what it's like having them.” 

“I’ll tell you all about them when I’m free today.” She said. Thomas smiles greatly. “Is it okay if I call you later? I just don’t want Phillip to start trouble.” 

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll wait until you’re done.” He says, lifting his arm off of the wall. “I'll see you later.”

“Thanks. Bye.” She said before hanging up the phone. Thomas puts up the phone and huffs. So his plan was to get ideas for chapter two. Thomas sits down on the couch, picking up the notebook and the used wooden pencil right next to it. His first idea was to describe Leon’s life in military training. How he was pushed around for being weak up to the point where he shows bravery, strength, and strategy. Thomas wonders if he has any of those things. Maybe not since he’s not in the military. But some day, he’ll tell himself and anyone else, that he has the courage to be brave and show that he isn’t useless.   
______________________________________________________________________________

The meeting wasn’t supposed to be done until a couple of minutes later. Shawn, Julie, Major Monogram, and the other agents were in the meeting room, talking about their new mission. It’s been weeks since they started their secret mission about their new enemy, Alastair Yakim. From what they learned, he’s a dangerous man who has an army and a whole supply of weapons, though they don’t know what his plan is. Major Monogram had assigned Shawn to be the one to lead the mission since it was him who messed up his shipment one night. He wasn’t really happy about it, knowing that he doesn’t have a solid plan on how they should handle this. “Agent S…” Major said, getting the dog’s attention. “From what you have reported, we have knowledge that Alastair Yakim is more of a threat than the other enemies that we had handled.”

“That’s right sir.” Shawn says, agreeing with him. 

“And that you know about his soldier and weapon storage, along with some sort of military base?” He asks.

“I do.” Shawn says again. 

“Then it’s settled that you are the right agent for the mission.” Monogram stood up from his chair, leaning his hands onto the desk. “You will be in charge of this mission and Miss Morkam will help you with this. Is that right?” He said to her who sat in her seat.   
“Yes sir, I’ll help Agent S with taking down Alastair Yakim.” She replies, saluting with a nod. 

“Good, everyone is dismissed.” He said to everyone as they started to leave the meeting. Down the hall, he looks at Shawn one last time. “We are all counting on you.” Shawn didn’t know if he should feel proud, responsible or scared. This was the biggest mission that he’s ever done before. Not even his training had helped him with this. 

“Thank you sir, I won’t let you down.” Once that was done with, he and Julie walked down a different hall to have a conversation. “Do you think I can do this?” He worries, feeling not ready for this.

“Of course, you’re one of the top elite agents in this agency. Not to forget that I’m here with you on this.” She said, patting his back as he smiles a little. “Is there one time that you didn’t back down on a mission?” 

“Not exactly, no.” Shawn said, thinking of how true that was. 

“See? That’s why I believe that you got this.” She assures him, doing whatever she can to keep Shawn his confidence. “Think about Thomas. Imagine if Alastair was going after him, which I think he’s safe. Are you going to back down on that mission?”

“I’ll tear him apart if he laid a finger on my boy.” He said, very angrily the more he imagines it. 

“Good, keep thinking of that to build up your bravery. Although I wouldn’t encourage it since it could activate your lethal mode.” She winces as she thought of it. A couple of months ago, she and Shawn were on a mission trying to hunt down a man who tried to rob a bank. When they cornered him, the man took out his gun and shot Julie in the shoulder. Shawn was by far livid after witnessing that. He even ignored being a secret agent and went as a wild wolf and attacked him. Scratching, biting, ripping his clothes, snarling, doing whatever it took to make the man pay for doing that. Julie, wounded from the shot, hear the man scream in pain and terror and did her best to stop Shawn from killing the man, but the damage was already done. He laid there in a pile of blood with scratch marks and bite wounds all over his body. Shawn’s face and paws were covered in blood, still in rage. His eyes were sharp like a lion’s and his teeth and claws were sharper than usual. It was the first time that Shawn had killed someone and she didn’t know what had come over him. She was the one who trained him, loved him, took care of him, and now he’s this wild animal who just broke the OWCA rules. Or that’s what she thought at first before realizing that Major Monogram allowed it. To this day, she does her best not to get him to act that way again. 

“Right, I tend to keep it that way. But do you really have to call it lethal mode?” He asks, thinking it really wasn’t necessary to call it that. 

“What else do I call it besides lethal mode?” Julie says, asking him if he has an idea, which he doesn’t.

He sighs heavily, crossing his arms as he stares at the floor then back at her. “Look. About what happened at that time, I lost control.” He admits his guilt. “You meant everything to me. Training me as a pup, loving me…..heck, you gave me some nice belly rubs.” Shawn really enjoyed them, it was just like how Thomas does it. “When I saw that man shot you, I was mad, livid. My inner self told me to maul him and tear him apart.” He huffs and growls in anger, thinking all about it. 

Julie really felt bad for him. It was true that she did all of those things for him, but he was the one traumatized to see one of the people he loves the most hurt very badly, physical or emotional. “Do you regret it?” The one question that popped in her head.

“Sadly no, I think he deserved it. That’s why I hope that the next person who dares to hurt you, Jane, or my boy, will get a worse punishment than what I did.” Just a few minutes ago, he was this worried dog who thought that he couldn’t handle a mission like this to an untamed wolf who plans to threaten that he’ll kill them if they try to hurt his friends and family. Julie goes in for a hug which he does the same, patting her back. “I am really sorry that you had to see that. I just wish I could’ve controlled it more.” 

“Just please stay as this fluffy dog who likes belly rubs and treats instead of a dangerous animal who mauls people without any second thought.” She said, sounding stressed and fearful. He could see a tear in her eye, going down her cheek. “I..I have to go. I’ll contact you later for the details.” She quickly leaves, wiping the tears off of her face.

Shawn whines a little, knowing why she was like that. She was scared, not of him, but for him. His anger problem and ‘lethal mode’ was the reason for their change in friendship. Julie cares for her best partner in crime in the agency and he’s not getting any better. The last thing he’ll ever do is to lose his anger at her or Thomas, probably doing the same thing he did to the criminal. He slowly walks back to his lab, still thinking of his issue. He sits down on the chair, whining some more. “I don’t want that to happen.” He said to himself, sigh depressedly. On his desk was a picture frame of him and Thomas from a month ago. The two looked really happy in the picture as his owner was sitting down on the ground, wrapping his arm around him while leaning his head on the dog’s side. This did put a smile on Shawn’s face, thinking about how he too meant everything in his life. It was him who had picked him out when they went to the pet store to get a pet. Thomas made a right choice picking a german shepherd to be both their household pet and protector. That’s when he started to think about Thomas’ future. He was supposed to leave after summer for college in Wisconsin and this made Shawn really sad. It seemed so quick but yet they’ve been together for years. To think that he has to let his own boy go into the big world without him. It brought a tear in his eye, thinking if he’ll ever see him again. He has to, right? Thomas can’t just forget Shawn right after he leaves, maybe he could call his parents and he can have the phone for himself, barking happily as if he’s actually talking to him. And once he comes home for the holidays, he’ll give Thomas a whole bunch of nuzzles and licks, not leaving by his side until he has to leave again. Someday, he wishes that his boy could stay longer, but it’s life and how it works. The agent put the picture frame back on the desk and stood up from his chair, ready to go back home. He walks to the tube which lifts him up to the surface of the shed. Now he thinks of all the licks and nuzzles he’s going to give him in just a few minutes, just he waits until the big dog shows up and is ready to tackle the human for some licks.


End file.
